Dr. Maria Fischer-Slysh

Dr. Maria Fischer-Slysh

Medical Doctor, Philanthropist, Ukrainian Patriot

We honor the memory of our donors, who through their generosity and devotion supported the mission of National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy.  Dr. Maria Fischer-Slysh, patron of Ukrainian studies and culture, who passed into eternity on February 13, 2012, left a legacy for NaUKMA in her name through her will and testament.

It is with a sense of deep respect and humility that we wish to express our appreciation and recognize the great spirit of a woman who lived her life for the hope of a free and independent Ukraine. Kyiv Mohyla Foundation established an endowment fund in her name for the benefit of student scholarships.

Dr. Fischer-Slysh donated generously to many Ukrainian institutions.  The generosity of her donations during her lifetime and through her testamentary gifts left a legacy that made a significant contribution to Ukraine's development of education and culture.

Dr. Fischer-Slysh was born in Kolomyia in Western Ukraine in 1922 and spent her childhood in the historic city of Belz, before moving with her family to Lviv in 1933. She attended the Ukrainian Academic Gymnasium in Lviv, but after the Soviet occupation of Western Ukraine fled with her family and finished her secondary school in Kholm. She completed her medical studies in Munich in 1949 and emigrated with her family to the United States in 1950. She practiced as a pediatrician in Kankakee, Illinois. In 1959 she married Dr. Rudolf Fischer, who was born in Straubing, Bavaria, and completed his medical studies at the Humboldt University in Berlin. Dr. Fischer passed away in 1982.

Dr. Fischer-Slysh subsequently resided in Toronto. She was a long-time member of the Board of Directors of the Ukrainian Medical Association of North America (UMANA) in Chicago, head of the Friends of the Academic Gymnasium in the Diaspora, and a member of the board of the Canadian Society of the Friends of Ukraine. She was also a member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society and the League of Ukrainian Philanthropists.  We celebrate her life and good works with gratefulness and through the young people who are able to receive a university education now and in the future.  Her example fills us with inspiration and hope.  May she rest in peace.